Everet's Laundry Newsletter August 2022

 

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You might be asking yourself, "Why is Everet sending out the August newsletter when the month is almost over?" If you think the August edition is late, you should see how late the July edition is being sent!   There are lots of interesting laundry tips on the blog. Below are three of them. Just click on the link to open an article. Huebsch is offering instant rebates on equipment until September 16th. If you are interested in Huebsch laundromat equipment please let me know by contacting me through this email Thanks for looking! Everet A Heck of A Nice Guy

Featured Articles this Month Have you had to fix all 10 items on this list? I bet you have many times over by now, however you probably had questions at first on how to do some of these: 10-things-all-laundromat owners should be able to fix   We have a few years until the next Clean Show, however if you haven't attended one, I would highly recommend it: clean-show-tips-for-first-timers There are lots of old and new Maytag dryers out there. Did you ever forget what the error codes mean? Maytag-dryer-default-codes   I know I said above there are three articles, however here is why you should read the ones that interest you, in my humble opinion of course! why-read-this-blog

Upgrading On Premise Laundry Equipment

The following below is from the LaundryLux website.
LaundryLux is the North American distributor for Wascomat and Electrolux brand laundry equipment and has been in the business for roughly 80 years.
There is no specific author.
To read the article on their page you can either click the link or just read it below:
5-signs-to-upgrade-your-on-premise-laundry-equipment
Thanks!
Everet

Upgrading on-premise laundry equipment is a major decision for businesses that operate on-premise laundry facilities. Older equipment can be expensive to maintain and manage as they break down more frequently over time. This can require expensive service calls to function and cause delays in service, leaving a negative impression and poor experience for customers and staff.

Newer machines can help operations managers control costs, reduce the need for service calls, and lower the consumption of utilities. Upgraded on-premise laundry equipment can also streamline operations with better results, increased laundry capacity, and an improved laundry experience.

Not sure if your laundry operations are in need of an upgrade? Here are some key signs to look out for when considering new on-premise equipment.

Signs You Need To Upgrade Your On-Premise Laundry Equipment

1. Utility costs are high – and rising

One of the main advantages of upgrading to new on-premise laundry equipment is the potential to save on utilities. Laundrylux’s true commercial laundry equipment is engineered from the ground up with the highest quality parts available, to provide superior performance for commercial laundry needs.

By detecting the weight of your load, new washing machines from Laundrylux can lower water usage as needed by up to 30%. In addition, new machines can extract moisture in the washer more efficiently, so clothes need less time in the dryer, which reduces gas consumption.

Learn about the future of the laundry industry: The Universal Washer: Industry Game-Changer Debuts at Clean Show 2019

2. Service interruptions are more frequent

Broken or malfunctioning equipment is expensive – both for service charges, and the opportunity cost of lost revenue while machines are out of service. If your on-premise laundry equipment is breaking down frequently and service costs are rising, it may be time to look at investing in new machines.

3. You have considered outsourcing your laundry

If your business is frustrated by using old equipment, you’ve probably looked into outsourcing laundry services. While that might be an appealing short-term solution, there are many reasons why you should keep your laundry services in-house, including long-term cost savings, quality control, turnaround time, a lack of vendor reliability, and more. Instead of outsourcing, learn about the cost-effective ways to upgrade commercial laundry equipment.

4. Equipment is old

Even if your equipment is still functional, old laundry machines can hurt the customer experience. For businesses with customer-facing machines, such as a hotel guest laundry room, old and battered equipment can negatively affect the customer experience. To better satisfy your clientele, provide clean, well-maintained machines.

5. Your needs are growing

If your laundry operations are growing it may be a good time to upgrade your equipment. Newer machines are quicker and more efficient, improving results at a faster speed while extending the life of your linens. Moreover, upgraded laundry systems may be stackable or be smaller in size, allowing additional machines to fit within the available space.

Upgrading on-premise laundry equipment can help a business in a variety of ways: by providing better results, improving efficiency, and decreasing utility costs and service interruptions. If you are considering upgrading your on-premise laundry equipment, but are hesitating due to cost, consider a laundry equipment rental program that can provide machines with no up-front cost.

Contact with an expert at Laundrylux today to learn more about how you can affordably upgrade your on-premise laundry equipment to help your business run more efficiently.

10 Things All Laundry Room and Laundromat Owners Should be Able to Fix:

10 Things All Laundry Room and Laundromat Owners Should be Able to Fix:

Within the first 90 days of owning a laundromat an owner will probably run into most of these things. This list isn't all inclusive. We could probably expand the list to 100 things an owner needs to know how to repair. Hmmm...do I sense a pattern of future blog articles?

1. Clearing coin jams
At some point early on in your tenure someone will put a bent quarter in your machine, use a foreign coin, put nickels dimes and pennies into the coin slot, or feed the quarters too fast and not wait for the coins to drop into the coin box. Maybe the coin slides will just be dirty. Whatever the reason is you will have a machine that won’t start because customers can’t put quarters into it. Learn the quick ways to dislodge these stuck coins and the proper way to clear the jam

2. Clean out the drain pump Small chassis washers will often get socks, coins, hair clips, and other junk that goes down the hose from the tub to the pump. Learn how to clear this debris otherwise your washers won’t drain and will leave the clothes soaking wet.




3. Change broken selection buttons
Customers can’t select a cycle or press the “start” button they can’t wash their clothes and you can’t make money




4. Replace a door hinge
Door hinges on small chassis washers are easy to fix. Take the old one off and put the new one on. 5-10 minute repair keeps the washer running and making money. Repairing a hinge on a large chassis washer doesn’t have to be done very often so you will be forgiven if that takes you longer to change one the first time




5. Replace a User Interface (UI) board
Most UI boards are modular units and can be swapped out easily after you get though the usual myriad of screws to get to them. A little tricky because you want to remember to turn the power off first. I know most people don’t turn the power off to the machine completely, however I’ve inadvertently shorted a board because I didn’t turn off the power. I’ll admit I don’t always turn the power off on a small chassis, however on a large chassis I always turn it off.



6. Fix a broken door handle, door trim ring, door window
I know some of you are saying there are three things in this item rather than one.
In reality on todays frontloading washers all of these parts are replaced on the door with usually the same set of screws on the backside of the door



7. Replace a broken soap tray or tray parts
Soap trays often have dividers that break, drawer stops and retainer clips that break off causing the drawer to be able to be pulled all the way out, seals that go missing or get ripped off

8. Replace a broken door hook
Own a small chassis front loading washer? At some point a customer will have an unbalanced load in it and the door won’t open causing the customer to wrench the door open somehow to get their clothes out. Don’t worry the tabs are supposed to break off. Better to have to repair a small door hook than a whole door!

9. Replace a water valve in small chassis washers
A lot of screws and hoses need to be moved usually to get to these but another simple repair.

10. Clean the lint screens in the dryers
Besides vacuuming the lint traps and wiping them out daily I’m talking about cleaning the gunk out of the holes in the screen that gets stuck in there. There are several ways to do this and several cleaners that do a good job.

These are the basic items that if you can fix, it will save you a lot of money on service calls and lost revenue due to machines being down for a few days. I didn’t tell you the diagnostic symptoms or how to fix these things. They are all things you can reason out or watch online videos about.
Once you fix these different items, don’t get too cocky and think you are a major league repair technician. Once you think that is when you will try and do a major repair and either won’t be able to figure it out and need to call a service tech anyways, or you’ll do something dumb and fry a UI board because you didn’t turn the power off.

Until next time...it all comes out in the Washtub!
Ev
A Heck of A Nice Guy

Clean Show Tips for First Timers

 

2022 was my first year attending the Clean Show by the Coin Laundry Association.
This year it was held in Atlanta. My first impressions...it was BIG and like all of the other tradeshows I have been to in my career, well worth the information I picked up and provided.

If you are in the laundry industry I think you need to go to the Clean Show at least twice in your career.
The first time it is very easy to get overwhelmed with all of the things to do and see and people to talk to. I never knew there were so many ways to fold sheets for example. When you attend the second time you have a little bit more of an understanding of what you are running into.
So in advance of my article that I will write before my second trip, here are some pointers for first timers:

 

1. The show is bigger than you think. You can't see everything in a day. This show lasted four days, I would recommend going for at least three days. The exhibit all alone will take up most of that time



2. Bring two pairs of comfortable shoes. There is a lot of walking and standing. Wear one pair of shoes one day and the second pair the next day. Changing shoes helps cushion different parts of your feet making fatigue less severe. If possible change socks in the middle of the day before going out for the evening. You will thank me for it!

3. Bring a backpack/bag to carry stuff in that is functional for you. The tote bags and plastic bags given by vendors are nice, but not really practical for carrying water or food and they are hard to hold after a time. You want to have something you can sling over a shoulder to get it out of the way so you can talk and play with the equipment unencumbered.

4. Food in the convention hall sucks no matter what. It is convention food. Nothing will change that. Eat a good breakfast. Bring something light for lunch and then go out for a fun dinner.

5. Bring a big bottle of lemon water, plain water, or something with electrolytes. You'll need to drink after talking with everyone and the burst of sugar will help you get though the last 20 aisles of vendors everyday!

6. Speaking of eating and drinking, meet up for a drink or dinner with your customers, distributors, and friends. It is fun and you can learn a lot from each other, plus it gives you something in common to talk about besides work because you learn a little bit more about each other.



7. Attend at least one education session. There is always something you can learn from others. Take advantage of it and learn a few more ideas

8. Bring business cards. We're in the digital age, however cards are a good ice breaker for conversations, leads, and information. 

9. Be sure to write notes on the business card, not only about the company or product, but about the person you met with because I guarantee you it will be hard to remember who is who in the pictures a week later.



10. Ask questions of the company reps at the booth. You will get a lot of information you don't need and various salespeople wanting information to call you, but if you don't ask you don't learn. Besides, the sales person that works for a competitor or different equipment company today, might be your rep in the future!

11. At some point sit down and take a break, or even a couple, during the day where you just chill. Trade shows can be sensory overload times just like a casino. All the noise and gadgets can cause brain lock. Sit down and soak it all in and just relax for a bit before going back to the convention floor. 

12. Talk to your peers from another part of the country. I spoke to some amazing owners and salespeople. Since they were not close to me, we weren't competitors so there was a more easy free flow of information. There were quite a few that I got to hear their story and they were inspiring! Gave me some great ideas or made me look at situations in a different way.

13. When you are done for the day at the show and done for the evening with dinners and drinks, take some down time for yourself  at the hotel or house. Read a book, watch a movie, listen to music, draw, anything not related to laundry. It will calm your mind so you can sleep better, help recharge the batteries...SO YOU CAN HIT THE SHOW AGAIN THE NEXT DAY WITH ENERGY AND ENTUSIASM!

14. When you get back home, take a vacation day the next day. Your sleepy brain, messed up stomach from travel and convention hall food, and your aching feet will thank you!

Ev
A Heck of A Nice Guy